Stormy weather 13 and 14 November 2009

Background

A very unsettled spell of weather affected all parts of the UK between Thursday 12 and Sunday 15 November, culminating in a particularly stormy, wet period on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday 13, a complex area of low pressure developed to the southwest of Ireland and moved north-east across the Irish Sea and western Scotland on Saturday. This swung bands of heavy rain across the UK giving significant accumulations in many western and southern areas. Some parts of Hampshire and Sussex recorded 30 mm of rain in 3 hours on Friday. The southerly wind strengthened to gale or severe gale force through Friday afternoon and evening, with gusts 65 to 75 m.p.h. in places. A second period of very strong winds and squally showers moved quickly across southern parts of Britain on Saturday with gusts widely reaching 50 to 60 m.p.h. and 80 to 90 m.p.h. in exposed coastal locations. There were also reports of tornadoes in the east of England on Saturday.

In Cornwall and Devon many roads were affected by surface water flooding, with problems exacerbated by trees and branches being brought down by the gales. These also brought down some power cables and caused damage to some roofs in Devon and Dorset. Part of the Camel Trail in Cornwall was closed due to fallen trees, and local authorities and the Highways Agency were also very busy keeping roads open. Coastal flooding was also reported in some places, especially Dorset, where the severe gales coincided with a high tide.

Weather data

Rainfall

Wind

Maximum wind gusts - 14 November 2009

Needles

100 m.p.h.

Manston

79 m.p.h.

Langdon Bay

79 m.p.h.

Isle of Portland

78 m.p.h.

Solent MRSC

76 m.p.h.

Aberdaron

74 m.p.h.

Culdrose

73 m.p.h.

How we did

Met Office advisories and warnings regarding the forecast heavy rain and severe gales were issued on our website from Wednesday onwards. We worked closely with the Environment Agency, local authority and emergency services across many parts of the UK from Wednesday onwards, briefing them about the likely impact of the stormy weather in their areas.

Please note that all values and statements are provisional and subject to change.